


I simply remember my favorite things (and then I don't feel so bad)

by yoinomikazuki



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Cats, Fluff, Gen or Pre-Slash, M/M, basically itaru tries to take care of his sister's cat, chikage is there because it's his room too, this is just very soft because I love cats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25223191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoinomikazuki/pseuds/yoinomikazuki
Summary: It's early in the morning when Itaru gets an unexpected phone call, three hours and sixteen minutes later when he finds himself face to face with his sister's overwhelming presence, and exactly 8 p.m. when he's trying to explain to his roommate why there's a cat sleeping on their couch.
Relationships: Chigasaki Itaru/Utsuki Chikage
Comments: 10
Kudos: 104





	I simply remember my favorite things (and then I don't feel so bad)

**Author's Note:**

> extremely self-indulgent, stress fueled, small collection of four short drabbles I wrote because I wanted to add my own spin to the ckit & cats thing. plotless fluff with more cat content than ckit content because my hand slipped

I.

It's early in the morning when Itaru gets an unexpected phone call, three hours and sixteen minutes later when he finds himself face to face with his sister's overwhelming presence, and exactly 8 p.m. when he's trying to explain to his roommate why there's _a cat_ sleeping on their couch. 

In hindsight, maybe he did jump to unnecessary conclusions. His sister had never been a cat person, so when she announced that she'd adopted one and desperately needed someone to look after it for the few days she'd be gone on a work trip, he thought she was simply making fun of him. Only after hearing her ramble about food, litter and fur brushing did he realize that she certainly hadn't been joking. 

So of course his immediate thought was: a kitten. Small, cute, one she could take pictures of and share on Instablam. 

The thing that came out of the carrier was definitely not a kitten. Frankly, when he looks at it now – curled up in the middle of the couch – he has trouble calling it a cat at all. 

The only thing making the situation bearable is his roommate's disgruntled expression at the sight of the thing, blissfully ignorant in its peaceful slumber.

"Chigasaki," Chikage says in that calm, yet plainly fake, tone he uses whenever Itaru manages to seriously piss him off. Which is, obviously, often. "What is this?"

"It's a cat. I bet you've already seen one, they're quite common around here," Itaru offers; there's no backing out now, if Chikage doesn't like the cat, he'll have to fight for it till the last drop of blood. 

"No, it looks like it feeds on cats." Chikage takes off his jacket and puts his bag down, once again seemingly unmoved. But he is annoyed, Itaru can see that in the way his fingers twitch. "And why is it in _our room?_ " he continues.

"My sister needed to go on an urgent work related trip. She didn't have time to arrange for it to stay with anyone else. So here it is, rooming with us for a week." That's a quite convincing act, he pats himself on the back, almost like he doesn't really mind. It would be even better if he could affectionately pet the cat's gigantic head, but ever since it has left the box, he's been keeping a safe distance. His sister had assured him that it's completely harmless but, well, his sister is terrifying. No living being, human or not, would risk picking a fight with that woman.

"And did you get a permission for that?" Ah. That's what's this is about. As if his sister didn't call Izumi first to ensure he doesn't escape his cat keeper duty.

"Yep. The director is on board as long as I'm taking care of it and not letting it roam around too much."

So far the cat seems absolutely uninterested both in him and in moving, which is a good sign. He'd rather not have to stop that big ball of fur from doing whatever the hell it wants once it's awake. 

"No, Chigasaki." Annoyed twitch of eyebrow. " _My_ permission." 

"Oh. Well you surely don't mind, do you?" Itaru is digging his own grave and Chikage looks very eager to hand him a shovel.

"In fact, I do. I dislike animals and you know that very well." He folds his arms across his chest. 

"That's an overstatement, you do like rabbits." He won't ever admit that, but no one, Itaru included, is blind to Chikage's gap moe. "It's kinda like a rabbit, you know. If not for the long tail and short ears." And paws armed in murderous claws, attack level 50.

Chikage makes a pained expression, exasperated at his remarks; that's a good sign, it looks like bullshitting his way through might actually work in his Itaru's favor this time. Chikage is not someone any reasonable person would pick an argument with, but Itaru has long since learnt that he might throw angry glances and make empty threats, but, with a little bit of patience and right words, ultimately gives up and lets him do as he wishes. 

"You're talking nonsense," Chikage sighs. Here it is, the usual denial of his softer side. "Can't you at least find another place to keep it? Just dump it on Mikage. Ask Misumi or Tenma. Whatever, just not in our room." 

Like that wasn't Itaru's initial idea; Hisoka would probably enjoy having a gigantic cat to use as a pillow even more than a little kitten, and Misumi– Misumi loves every cat with triangle shaped ears and nose. Itaru is not going to do that, though. Not only because he promised Izumi to be responsible, but also because trying to move the fur mountain is the last thing an unfit person like him should attempt. 

So he crosses his arms, mirroring Chikage's pose, and says sternly, "This is my sister's cat and currently my responsibility. I would feel bad for trying to dump it on them." It's not completely a lie, that's what his sister did to him and he can attest that it doesn't feel great. 

"However, you don't feel bad about roping _me_ in for this?" Chikage asks in a tone more stating than questioning – he already knows the answer.

"I'm not–" Itaru sighs. He doesn't want to feel guilty about this, but Chikage is obviously right and admitting it never comes easy. "Okay. No, I don't. Because they're them and you're you, it's a completely different situation."

"Somehow I fail to see why," Chikage states blankly. 

"You're always helping me out," Itaru blurts out. "I might have gotten used to it."

An awkward moment of silence stretches impossibly long as the words hang in the air between them. 

"I see," Chikage eventually says. Not "gross" or "disgusting" or whatever else he usually replies with when Itaru accidentally voices something hitting too close to what they are to each other. "Make sure it doesn't mess with my stuff." 

He turns around and leaves, not sparing another look at neither Itaru nor the cat. 

Technically, Itaru has won this not-argument, but the bitter taste on his tongue tells him otherwise.

"It's only you and me now," he tells the cat. 

The cat doesn't answer.

II.

Another two hours pass; he's been too immersed in gaming to check what the cat's been up to during that time, but when he takes off his headset and spins the chair to glance at it, it doesn't seem to have moved at all. 

Should he be worried? He doesn't know a lot about cats, except for the most basic knowledge: they eat a lot, sleep a lot and purr when you pet them. Or at least the nice ones do. He's never expected to become a cat owner so suddenly, even though the thought of taking a pet in one day crossed his mind a few years ago – back then he couldn't have predicted joining Mankai, so his image of the future painted itself quite lonely. Even so, he never made any actual steps in that direction. 

Still, shouldn't a cat taken to a new place filled with strangers be at least a little bit curious? Take a stroll around the room, sniff and poke around? 

Itaru comes over to the couch and crouches in front of it, ready to make a run for it if the beast decides to make use of its weaponry. Upon closer inspection he discovers that, in fact, it's a really pretty cat. Majestic more like. Its thick fur looks both soft and shiny, snow white and yet perfectly clean, and its tail, which is now curled around its body, is fluffy like a plush toy. 

Itaru reaches his hand, carefully and slowly, not wanting to scare it. His fingers brush against the soft white of its head and the cat moves its ears. It doesn't seem to mind though, so Itaru continues petting it with more confidence. He's surprised how nice it feels, so soft and smooth under his fingertips. 

And then the cat opens it's huge blue eyes and stretches out its paw, making him instinctively flinch back and lose balance. He stops himself from completely falling down with his hand, but his heart still skips a beat. That's not good for his health, absolutely not. 

"I see you're making friends," a voice comes from the entrance. Chikage is standing at the threshold with a cup of tea in his hand and amused smile on his lips, because, of course, he is always back in the room the moment Itaru does something embarrassing. Typical.

He picks himself up and ignores Chikage's comment in favor of staring at the cat; it looks slightly amused too, but more importantly, it has finally taken interest in him. It doesn't look malicious, just stretching and yawning now, so he takes a deep breath and reaches his hand again, letting it sniff his fingers. Looks like he's been accepted, because a second later the cat pushes its head into the palm of his head, demanding to be petted. 

He smiles to himself, another victory for him today.

"I think it likes me," he announces, facing Chikage whose expression once again turns unreadable. He stares back at Itaru, the cat, and then at Itaru again like he's considering chances of backing away and aborting the mission. 

"Does this thing even have a name?" he finally asks. 

Now that he has _made friends_ with the furball, Itaru feels mildly insulted on its account. He opens his mouth to say so, but realizes that he doesn't have any idea if the cat has been already named. 

"Give me a moment."

He reaches into a pocket for his phone and quickly types a message. Just as expected, the answer comes almost immediately.

_from: big sis_

_he's called mr. Meow Meow_

His face must be showing the utter disgust that washes over him, because Chikage crosses the room and peeks over his shoulder to see the answer. Itaru violently slams his phone screen down against his thigh, feeling responsible for protecting the cat's honor. 

"It's unnamed," he lies. 

"Truly?" Chikage raises an eyebrow. "Then please refrain from calling it embarrassing names like Nyan-Nyan and such."

"Who do you take me for," Itaru responds in a grave voice. Hearing the words Nyan-Nyan come from Chikage's mouth has filled him with enough second hand embarrassment for one lifetime. "Don't ever repeat that again."

He types a short reply, deciding that he simply can't stand for this.

_to: big sis_

_if youre the one who named him then were gonna need to have a serious conversation_

_from: big sis_

_but it's so cute_ ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

She has finally lost it, it appears.

III.

Turns out, it's actually pretty easy to have a good-natured cat like this one; it spends the next three days sleeping for hours in different places, wiping the bowls clean immediately after Itaru fills them with food, and occasionally knocking his hands with its head, demanding that he pet it. 

At some point it must have decided that a human who doesn't try to befriend it is a useless one, so it doesn't approach Chikage at all. He doesn't seem to care though, comfortably ignoring its presence and stubbornly avoiding sitting on the couch at the same time as " _the thing_ ", even when the cat's asleep on one of its very ends. 

On the other hand, Mankai's resident cat lovers come to visit a lot; Itaru doesn't really mind, at least the cat isn't lonely when he's at work. Do cats even feel lonely when they're left to sleep in a room all by themselves? He doesn't know, but even if they do, this one for sure can't complain.

It's the fourth day of his cat duties when he comes back home, exhausted from working overtime, and throws himself onto the couch without as much as changing into comfortable clothes. Chikage always complains when he does that; _if you can get home and not pass out behind the wheel, you can at least haul yourself to bed_ , he says. Itaru knows that too – he just doesn't bother.

Once he closes his eyes, he's out like a light.

A steady, vibrating sound coming from something fuzzy and warm pressed against his side greets him when he awakens. The cat is napping next to him, its head rested comfortably on Itaru's shoulder; purring and radiating heat. 

_Achievement portable heater: unlocked._

He can't help but smile fondly, thinking that maybe being a cat owner isn't all that bad after all. The more time he spends around it, the more comfortable he gets. And the same goes for the cat – it hasn't even come to sit on his knees before, but now? He has finally won this one over, no doubt.

"I'm surprised you can breathe with that thing on your chest." Chikage's voice rings from above his head. He looks up to the source of it and finds his roommate standing next to the couch, staring straight at him with curiosity.

Itaru lazily pets the cat's head with his free arm.

"It's not as heavy as it looks." It starts purring even louder as if in agreement. "Is this for me?" he looks pointedly at a folded blanket in Chikage's arms. 

" _No_." Liar. Itaru has woken up tucked in with a blanket or his own jacket enough times to realize. He called Chikage out the first two times, but to no avail; of course that even caught red-handed he blatantly lies about the fact. 

"But I'm cold, so give it to me. My cat comforter is too little to warm me up completely." He pouts for a good measure. 

"Absolutely nothing about this thing is _too_ _small_ , Chigasaki." Chikage unfolds the blanket and carelessly throws it over Itaru, who has to pull it down a little when one of its edges ends up falling on his face. It renders him speechless for a moment – he's expected Chikage to drop the folded blanket onto his chest or to simply walk away. This is almost nice, and Chikage doesn't act nice so openly. Chikage's way of caring is as complicated as the man himself; he wouldn't think twice about breaking the law when asked to, but never owns up to his small acts of kindness. His affection is all annoyed smiles, exasperated comments and constant banter. "Is there something you want to say?" Chikage purses his lips, irked by the received reaction or rather lack of thereof.

Itaru must have been staring for too long, but who wouldn't when a miracle happens in front of them? 

He tugs the blanket tighter around himself. 

"Nothing." His amused tone of voice earns him annoyed click of tongue as Chikage backs away, probably already regretting doing what he's done. But it's not like Itaru can help it, he really wants laugh now; not a humorous laugh, not even a I-will-hold-this-against-you one (even though yes, he will), but a laugh of happiness, the same as after finishing the hardest level of a game with a perfect score. 

Maybe the cat is not the only one he's managed to finally win over.

IV.

_from: big sis_

_please put mr. Meow Meow in the carrier I'll be in fifteen and I'm already running late_

He thought it would be easy. It _sounds_ easy. The cat didn't seem to mind traveling in its carrier when his sister dropped it off.

The thing is, the cat's a lazy bastard. It doesn't move for hours if it can help, and treats rarely succeed in making it stand up. Even then, it does so with a look of great displeasure. Which, honestly, Itaru can sympathize with. 

However, now it has become a problem he has to solve quickly, or else his sister's wrath will reach him. 

He has already tried putting treats in the carrier, putting treats all the way from the cat to the carrier and, ultimately, putting the carrier right next to the cat. Each time, the beast only looked at him with its big moony eyes, as though disappointed with the lack of head pats.

At this point he's starting to suspect that the cat is making light of him and Chikage, who of course is shamelessly watching his fruitless attempts without lifting a finger, is silently cheering it on.

There has to be a trick to it. Maybe some kind of command? Do commands work on cats too? It's a stupid idea, but maybe that's why it'll work; sometimes stupid and confident is enough.

He lowers himself to the cat's level and looks it in the eyes. The blue circles stare back at him with curiosity. "Get. In," he says slowly, carefully articulating each word. 

The cat yawns. Itaru sighs. There's a sound from across the room, something like a light chuckle, but when he looks up Chikage seems composed as ever. 

What if it only reacts to its name? Maybe the right command is "Mr. Meow Meow, get in"? _No_ _._

Only one option is left to try and he absolutely despises the idea. He's not that easy to admit defeat, so he stands up, stretches his arms, and braces himself mentally. 

And then, in one swift move, he picks up the cat. 

It's definitely heavier than it felt when it had been using him as a pillow, and it's definitely longer than it appeared when curled up into a ball. He almost sneezes when the fur tickles his nose. The cat doesn't mind being carried at all, it immediately starts purring, as if to communicate its approval of having a human servant to deliver it places. 

Another problem occurs to Itaru when he spots the carrier; it's on the couch, inviting the cat in – the same cat that's now up in the air in Itaru's arms. And there's no way he can bend over and put it inside without hearing his spine crunch like a potato chip, courtesy of hours spent hunched over in front of different computer screens. 

"A little help here?" he asks, trying to keep fur away from his mouth. 

"No, I think you're doing great." In his current position he's unable to see what facial expression Chikage is making, but the tone of his voice is enough for Itaru to just know the exact kind of smile gracing his lips.

" _Senpai_ ," he warns.

" _Chigasaki,_ " he hears back. 

"Is this revenge? Are you enjoying watching me lose HP?" 

"Hm," Chikage hums, but Itaru hears him stand up and walk over to the couch. He grabs the carrier and holds it high enough for Itaru to see. The rest isn't difficult at all, once he puts the cat's front paws on the box's floor, it climbs in without his further help. 

He reaches inside and pats its head once again, memorizing the softness underneath his fingertips. 

It's a goodbye, it dawns on him then. Damn, he might actually miss this lazy ball of fur. Who would have thought that such an unpleasant surprise would make its way into his heart so quickly?

"Good cat," he praises it and locks the door. Big blue eyes follow his movement and maybe, for a second, he imagines that it understood his words. And maybe it will remember him long enough to get excited the next time he visits his sister. 

As if, the beast wouldn't get excited even if it had a mouse sitting on top of its head. 

The thought makes him smile a little.

He can feel Chikage's calculating stare on himself; it makes him briefly wonder what kind of expression do these distant eyes see on his face, what kind of judgement happens behind them. 

"Don't tell me you want a cat now," Chikage says, cutting into Itaru's thoughts. If there was anything more to his gaze, he has decided to keep it to himself.

Itaru is tempted to play into it, see if he'd be able to convince Chikage that he's joining Mankai's very own group of cat enthusiasts. Probably not, Chikage knows him too well to believe it.

He settles for asking, "Then would you let me keep one here?" 

"No chance."

"That's what I thought."

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for your time! ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ


End file.
